10 Tips For Ordering CDs & Vinyl From Amazon

That particular Metallic album (cd) comes with a "free" Auto-Rip digital version when bought from Amazon. If you want the Auto-Rip, do NOT buy from the Market Place/resellers. Why do I like an Auto-Rip? 1- I get the music files immediately. I can then drag the files onto a USB drive...plugs into my car (which doesn't have a cd player). Works great, so far. 2- Since I get the music files immediately, I can select a different option vs. the 2-Day Delivery IF Amazon offers a $1-$2 freebie on digital purchases (music or movies). ;-)

It's great there in the United States. But here in South America, the shipping cost is too expensive. In many cases, it costs more than the product itself. So if I want to shop on Amazon, I have to choose at least two or three items, so the shipping cost ends up being less than if I chose just one product. Even so, in many cases, the full price on Amazon (including shipping) ends up being cheaper than the same items purchased at local stores here. That's why I keep buying on Amazon.

I’ll pre order fairly early a lot of the time, but keep my eye on the date and cancel the original order and re-order if the arrival date is sooner close to release. It’s easy to keep track that way, and cancelling an order is usually pain free.

Would love to see an Ebay video of the same topic. So many more pitfalls on Ebay that have happened to me over the years. I would like to see your take on what you have encountered. Keep up the GREAT videos that you do. They are well appreciated and so informative. You are a wealth of knowledge and it is so great that you share your thoughts with other viewers!

You are absolutely correct about returns. In fact, quite often I will receive my replacement vinyl the next day after I request a replacement, less than 24 hours. I never hesitate to ask for a replacement from Amazon and they have never denied my requests. Also, often they have Amazon exclusives, for instance the new Rolling Stones LP Hackney Diamonds, not only do they have it in green vinyl, but with an alternate (and cooler) cover for pre-order. In my case I can say about 90% of my vinyl arrives undamaged, although I do occasionally get damaged vinyl due to pressing issues and those I do replace. But that is not Amazon’s fault. When my favorite on-line indie store sells out of a new release in a day or two, I then go to Amazon with great results. Good topic for a video.

I both love and hate Amazon 😄

I recently started ordering from marketplace re-sellers and I'm impressed! The CDs arrived in great condition and no cracks whatsoever. I don't mind waiting a week or two for my CDs, as long as they don't arrive damaged.

Great info Brenden! Particularly the pre-order piece. I always order a couple of weeks before the release date and I’ve noticed that items are coming the following week or later in some cases. Will definitely start looking for the ‘Get on release day’ message going forward.

Great video! I am also an Amazon faithful. A few additional things. They have a lowest price guarantee for pre-order. I have gotten a small refund on several items because the advertised price has dropped since I pre-ordered. That is always nice! I also have done returns that they say "just keep the product" and I still get a refund. Another time I got a broken case CD and they offered a big discount to keep it and live with it. I did! A few times I get the refund for a damaged product just as soon as UPS scans the barcode at the UPS store when I return the item. I ALWAYS do a label & envelope return now after some bad experiences. A couple of times I did the "easy" return of an item with no packaging and just a QR code to scan and I never got the refund until I complained on their chatline.

Great video there’s something about paying just 12 bucks on Amazon for a brand new CD like Eagles greatest hits. Or 8 bucks for Willie Nelson Stardust etc. Someday those prices will double it’s inevitable . I have Apple Music Spotify and You Tube music. If I just dropped one of those services and bought one brand new CD a month I’d have a growing collection . 🤔

Hi Brendon, great video. I've been watching your videos recently and i enjoyed them a lot, greetings from north of Mexico (CD Juárez) thanks for sharing your collection, I hope one day to have a collection like yours. Greetings.

All Great advice Thanks Brendon. In the Sumner months I have my cds & vinyl delivered to my local Whole Foods store otherwise delivery people leave it on my stoop in the scorching sun & to prevent theft.

Lots of great insight! Amazon drives me crazy with the way they handle CDs... my copies always come with cracked cases or damaged spines. I try to go to record stores instead when I can.

Online shopping really helped me during the covid pandemic! Great video Brendon.

I had cinderella long cold winter shipped from the states to ontario canada… they put it in a plastic bag. The album cover was destroyed… i think a 5 year old packaged it. They wanted it returned in the original box… so i put it back in the same amazon bag and slapped some tape on it. Returned for full refund. And currently i have not gotten an album, and the delivery date has passed. Now i have to wait two more days to hear back from the seller. Tracking shows a label was created and it stops there… no movement through the system. I swear it wasnt even mailed… I think will break down and get prime…you got me sold on that. Thanks!

Thanks Brandon , I using Amazon Canada a lot starting pandemic and never had problems.

Thank you, Brendon. I use Amazon all the time. Their communication and return policy is second-to-none. Conversely, I ordered a 2017 vinyl reissue of Judas Priest - Sin After Sin from Merchbar on July 2nd, because Merchbar "supposedly" had it on sale and in stock and Amazon did not. Well, it's been 11 days and I haven't heard a word from them. I guess I, the consumer, will have to take the initiative to reach out to them to find out the status of my order.

Exellent thanks for the tips Brendon

I always forget what I am interested in when I go to a record store so what I do is when I find something on amazon and don’t want to buy it yet, I add it to my amazon wish list. That way, if I get a gift card or something I can easily remember what I wanted from amazon and or view the list in the record store…

I've stopped buying vinyl from amazon. I've had one too many damaged sleeves from them. I'm now buying direct from the record label even though they are more expensive. I mainly buy blue note records.